It is our choices, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

You fly about 30 hours to other side of the world and you are confused! Am I from Home or Am I back home? Lovely sight of your family, waiting for you at the airport and you are too exhausted to actually let it sink. Slowly it sinks in and you are just plain happy! Yet, you are so tired that people around you actually can’t see it. You wonder if things will ever be the same returning after a year and a half. So many things have changed and yet you blend in as if you never left.

Ouch Manik!

Bro and SIs!

My nephew!!

My Family!

You visit your lovely nephew for the first time and holding him in your hands is pure joy. Thinking about his little smile gives me one, any time. You try to eat exclusive food as much as possible. Yet, you can’t get enough of the people you will miss. You actually want to spend time with everyone in your family! You are just a bundle of emotions elated all the time. Days feel like hours and so many things are yet to be done.

You visit Kerala to see your nephew and cousin and you play with your nephew for the first time and you are freak’n excited. You celebrate new year with an amazing party with your family ( Thanks to my lovely sis, Sandy for a fun game afterwards ), You spend almost every day with your sis and her hubby that you miss them even now. You witness your mom and dad getting married! You get to organize their wedding! ( at-least play some part! ). You visit your mom’s new shop for the first time. You rest, shop and pack-up. You reach the airport in time and you are about to say goodbye to your mom and dad. You feel like some one just punched you in your gut and you just feel sad. You buckle up and tell yourself ” Don’t make a scene Sriraam” and you wave good bye with smiles. You get on that plane and you get back to Salt Lake City and you are greeted by a dear friend at the airport. You put your game face on!

It’s funny that my flight itinerary says I am back home. Am I? I guess, I am back from home!

Laptops, tablets, phablets and printers. Its time I question all the effort one puts into writing anything by hand. Did I spend significant portion of my childhood, practising to write cursive, pretty, clear and fast? Did I learn anything with all those seemingly fruitless exercises ?

What exactly does it mean to write ? Just to draw scripts using a pen? Or using scripts to actually shape your thoughts? Is there a significance to writing by hand ? Or does the act of shaping ideas into words imply writing?

According to the nytimes article, writing by hand has distinct benefits unique to cognitive development for kids. Shaping letters by hand triggers learning and allows to better express ideas from childhood. I guess one should be glad for every essay written for the innumerable number of tests in school.

But as it remains, such findings are results of studies based on experiments which may or may not be true for everyone. Yet, the passion to write, to use the right words in the right places, to express your mind with the right set of words,
To allow to be consumed by it, makes writing one of the most satisfying acts in our every day mundane life. To write about writing has yet another level of humour and satisfaction to it.

Although this is not from the Angel’s Landing, its the next best Click of the canyon!

Just about to climb Angel’s landing, one of the toughest hikes in Zion!!

One of these guys definitely wanted a share of my trail-mix!! Ofcourse, NO WAY!!!

Look at the drastic changes in altitude in this winding path !! One of the steepest climbs ever!!

JUst Another View of the Canyon

Talk about a face to face encounter!! He was staring straight at me and I through my lens, at him for a minute until him realizing I was no threat!!

How water in Virgin River is supposed to be! and This ‘river’ causes geographical changes for last several centuries in the Zion Park! This puny thing?? Seriously??

Sometimes, you get a chance to see something spectacular just by a chance and feel how useless your DSLR is !!

A little less of sun light, a little less of green, and a little more of cloud, Surprisingly Stunning View!!

One of the clicks through the ridiculously small window in the shuttle. One of the best sights in Zion’s! When you stumble upon one of the most beautiful things you have ever seen by accident on a trip , you were completely unprepared for!!!

Muddy water cannot take away the beauty of Narrows!! ( OK,… it might take a ‘part’ of it away! )

Full use of its talent for some nuts from the travellers!! Cute!!

I cannot say I have seen all of Zion! Not even close! Yet, I can say, I had one of the most exhilarating experiences at Zion! Trying to climb Angel’s Landing , yet coming so close to going to the top! OK. I will confess , the last mile was not for me!!!

When you see few rays of sunlight cut through the cloudy sky on a rainy evening to shine on the tips of those bare mountains only to be dazzled more by the rainbows that followed to add to the smell of rain in the air, both words and pictures fail to describe the wonderous moment! Adding to this, with ‘probable flood’ alert, a walk in the narrows in muddy waters, checking at the weather for signs of storm or rising water levels and only to hear a thunder at a distance and come running back! , could easily rank as one of the best times for most folks, I am sure !

Looking down from the end of Millcreek Canyon Pipeline trail, the breeze and the view was nothing short of stunning, with a car park looking like a tray of square shaped chocolate bars , carefully placed next to each other. So many trees amidst seemingly small buildings, made me wonder if Utah is in real a desert state. If some one told me, I would be riding a mountain bike(bicycle) on a trail that runs at the edge of the canyons, my reaction would definitely have been, “Are you Joking??” . Let alone, “I will get to dance on a stage with my friends, with people watching me!” .I would have been sure that it cannot be me. “Long birthday parties with music and dance, with lots of food and a big circle of friends” . “Being appointed as part of an association and entrusted with good deal of responsibilities” . All of this would have definitely driven me to a point of laughing out loud.

When I sent the email , accepting my offer of admittance, little did I know what to look forward to. When everything that has happened happens , one just couldn’t stop wondering if a single decision could change so many things about him and his life. With so many things happening around me, people I left behind back in India are covering great strides in different stages of their life and remain my dearest reminding me the family and friends I miss every day. With a little bit of this and little bit of that, I have found a path, I had no idea where it could lead to , and having a journey that has proved to be a memorable one for days to come.

On the morning of October 7, I just knew that the week ahead is not going to be easy. With lots of work to be done, I had two mid-terms scheduled on consecutive days, Looking forward for the fall break that follows all the chaos, I got through each of them with minimal embarrassment and I was just beginning to feel calm , when I was looking at the mail when,

The Serpent Prince, a Swedish Legend

caught my eye. It was part of UDLS being organised by the SAC. I expected it to be just another storytelling session and showed up anyway since I had nothing better to do. I was surprised when it turned out to be a fun event with illustrations being created by the participants with crayons on the spot followed by a narration of the story and pizza. It was a fascinating tale with really imaginative illustrations. I got to join my room mate and his super-cool buddies during dinner, where the band was playing for the entertainment. It was a fun night!! :)

It was Tuesday and after lots of cleaning and rest, I just wanted to get the hell out, while I can. Fall break certainly wasn’t gonna last! Jordon Commons , Sandy didn’t seem that far and off I went to catch ‘Gravity’ in the IMAX 3D. Adding to the fact that the movie was good, I discovered I like Crepe!! After visiting about 3 shops and managing to get a jacket, missed the last bus and walked through cold deserted streets with suspicious eyes on each passerby, with my guard up all the while and reached home in time and safe for my relief. I needed some rest!

It was Friday already and I knew that the Fall break is over. I just have this one trip to Draper,for which I was looking forward. Missing another good trip with my friends on the same day didn’t help my unease. At-least, I have always enjoyed the train ride! When I reached my destination It was slightly different than what I had in my mind. It was a cool place with a cool view of the mountains too. I just love the mountains!!(atleast the sight of it :) ). After my business there and some good food I had to return back and it was exhausting. Travelling could be fun, but it sure does tire me out!!

Guess I couldn’t have had a better Fall break !! Hoping for the best of times ahead!!.